Uses 'electrickery' so... Cross line laser unit

[Accipiter]

EDIT, 11TH MARCH 2026: CORRECT PRICE IN STORES IS £24.99.

I've noidea as to why it was £19.99 in my store. NOTHING showed it had been reduced or was being offered at a £5 reduction.

Wasn't sure which suited this best but, as this section mentions 'electrickery' and this uses batteries...

Just a heads up for anyone looking for a cross line laser unit. Realise this won't be to everyone's taste etc., but...

Lidl (in the UK) have the Parkside one in the stores at the moment for £19.99 with a small extendable tripod.

Cheap but it works and has their 3yr warranty.

I've been considering getting a cross line laser unit for some time, couldn't decide on which one with the various prices - and couldn't really justify such cost for the very limited time I'd be using one. This came just at the right time and price for me.

 

[Spectric]

I've been considering getting a cross line laser unit for some time, couldn't decide on which one with the various prices - and couldn't really justify such cost for the very limited time I'd be using one. This came just at the right time and price for me.

Why not just use a decent level, probably more precise than a cheap laser. I have used some cheap lasers and they all ended up in the recycling but now have a Huapar S04 multiline laser which is good for most things but not as precise as my Stabilla digital level.

 

[Accipiter]

Why not just use a decent level, probably more precise than a cheap laser. I have used some cheap lasers and they all ended up in the recycling but now have a Huapar S04 multiline laser which is good for most things but not as precise as my Stabilla digital level.

I've a number of 'decent levels' which I've used when needed to set things level and vertical... and to check afterwards. One in particular I've had (and checked regularly) for over 45 years back when I renovated an old farmhouse on the West Yorkshire moors.

Now I'm close to 75 it appeals to *me* to use something that projects lines so I can use them *as guides* and use along with the decent levels I've got. Not everyone's got £260 to lay out on something that will get limited usage.

Like I said at the beginning "not to everyone's taste" but... this one will be "good for most things" I need it for.

 

[Malc2098]

As a DIYer, I'm ok with a cheap laser. I bought one on one of those TV falling auction programmes back in the 90s and have used it for wallpaper, tiling etc. It does the job for me. I've still got it.

 

[Spectric]

Not everyone's got £260 to lay out on something that will get limited usage.

The one thing with at least half decent tools is that they have a resell value whereas cheap tools are disposable. This means you may own them but at some point when your needs have been met you just sell them.

 

[RogerS]

The one thing with at least half decent tools is that they have a resell value whereas cheap tools are disposable. This means you may own them but at some point when your needs have been met you just sell them.

But at what loss ? If you are lucky you get half-price. So to use the £260 as an example…you’re out £130. Enough to buy five from, say, Lidl.

 

[Spectric]

But decent tools make a task easier, less stressful and if the job goes wrong you only have yourself to blame. If a tool fails to give good results then no mater how many you can buy and still be quids in compared to the single decent one the results don't change.

 

[Accipiter]

Well... I'm definitely somewhat disappointed in the way this post, to bring something to the members attention, has initially been received.  I'll certainly be thinking twice before making any such future posts that's for sure.

LOTS of choice out there for those that want to, or decide to, do their own searches for cross line laser units... prices from £15 (or less via Temu or Banggood) up to over £500.

I don't need one with multiple lines or digital readings or even to use via an app on my phone. I'm not professionally employed as a builder, kitchen or bedroom unit fitter or tiler etc., so don't need such an all singing, all dancing piece of kit. I break it it's cost me £20... I drop a 'pro' one it's cost me £270 or more (the Huaper if presently on offer at £260 - 1p).

This one suits *my* needs at this time - I thought a few others may also find it of use to them.

If I'm honest I don't NEED this.... quite capable of using my existing old, none digital, bubble levels. I see it as another visual aid for lining up at a distance with a line along the wall at X height etc., which suits me... if not others. One mans meat and all that...

 

[NickM]

Go for it. I've bought a few things from Aldi/Lidl and they've mostly been really good purchases and, as you say, there's very limited downside.

 

[Malc2098]

The cheap one I bought, as in my post above, I found much easier to use than a spirit level for wallpaper alignment and tiling, both horizontal and vertical alignment. But them I'm just a DIYer and probably only use it every few years. I'm not sure Aldi or Lidl had been invented in this country back then, but if they were, I would have bought one.

 

[AJB Temple]

I use a laser level a lot. The cheap ones are fine for occasional use, but eat batteries. I do a lot of panelling, timber framing, stone flooring, wall tiling at our place and it is an indispensable tool. I would not lay out a floor now without a laser. I must have laid 300 square metres of stone floors in our house and the lasers saved many a layout error.

I've been through Dewalt (red line), Huapar (green line) - which I still have and use, and leica triple line & spot, which I bought s/h and is fantastic (as is there distance measure).

£20 is a good spot and has to be worth a punt. Thanks for telling the forum.

 

[RogerS]

But decent tools make a task easier, less stressful and if the job goes wrong you only have yourself to blame. If a tool fails to give good results then no mater how many you can buy and still be quids in compared to the single decent one the results don't change.

I’m not sure what your agenda is here, TBH. Frank pointed out to us an item at a very good price and which could well be of interest to many members. I’m sure that he didn’t really want to be preached to.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I have a laser level. I don't need it very often, but when I do, it is just the best.

When I was working doing cabling, we did consider buying one for setting out sockets, but in those days they started at £500. No.

I can't remember why I bought the previous model to this in Feb '23, but I'm currently using it in my kitchen and it is fantastic. The batteries (2) are rechargeable and I've never run out of juice, and as well as a (small, but) well-made tripod, there are a couple of other mounting brackets. It was under €100.

Given that they all work on the same principle, a refracting pendulum, which relies on gravity for verticality, I don't see why a £500 jobbie would be more accurate than a £20 one. It might be nicer to use and the batteries might last longer, but I bet the accuracy is the same.

One thing that might be worth checking though, is how sharp the line itself is. That might sort the wheat from the chaff.

But if didn't already have mine, I'd go to Lidl or Aldi.

S

 

[Spectric]

Frank pointed out to us an item at a very good price and which could well be of interest to many members.

Yes but from my experience with low priced lasers they failed to deliver, why did I buy low priced lasers ? Because no one pointed out the pitfalls before hand so sharing my experience and not wanting people to get there hopes up.

 

[RogerS]

Yes but from my experience with low priced lasers they failed to deliver, why did I buy low priced lasers ? Because no one pointed out the pitfalls before hand so sharing my experience and not wanting people to get there hopes up.

A fair point but would it not be better to give a few specific examples as to why they ended up in recycling?

 

[Steve Maskery]

Yes but from my experience with low priced lasers they failed to deliver, why did I buy low priced lasers ? Because no one pointed out the pitfalls before hand so sharing my experience and not wanting people to get there hopes up.

So what did you find so disappointing about them?
S

 

[AJB Temple]

One thing that might be worth checking though, is how sharp the line itself is. That might sort the wheat from the chaff.

Various things make the difference between cheap and pro in my experience. Including:

Visibility in bright light (outdoors setting out blocks)
Range (Leica is visible at a much longer distance)
Settling speed
Absence of blurred lines or lines that are too thick over distance
Absence of lines doubling (some lasers do this)
Charge life (I can leave the Leica on all day, the other one I have to toggle on or off to eke out the batteries)
Spot measure
Robustness
Case
Ease of switching between modes
Lock mode for doing set slopes as opposed to level.

I use mine on a half decent tripod fitted with an adjustment rack that lets me shift the tool from side to sie and forward / back very accurately. Pretty much essential for laying out grids.

 

[duke]

Well... I'm definitely somewhat disappointed in the way this post, to bring something to the members attention, has initially been received.  I'll certainly be thinking twice before making any such future posts that's for sure.

LOTS of choice out there for those that want to, or decide to, do their own searches for cross line laser units... prices from £15 (or less via Temu or Banggood) up to over £500.

I don't need one with multiple lines or digital readings or even to use via an app on my phone. I'm not professionally employed as a builder, kitchen or bedroom unit fitter or tiler etc., so don't need such an all singing, all dancing piece of kit. I break it it's cost me £20... I drop a 'pro' one it's cost me £270 or more (the Huaper if presently on offer at £260 - 1p).

This one suits *my* needs at this time - I thought a few others may also find it of use to them.

If I'm honest I don't NEED this.... quite capable of using my existing old, none digital, bubble levels. I see it as another visual aid for lining up at a distance with a line along the wall at X height etc., which suits me... if not others. One mans meat and all that...

Well... I'm definitely somewhat disappointed in the way this post, to bring something to the members attention, has initially been received.  I'll certainly be thinking twice before making any such future posts that's for sure.

LOTS of choice out there for those that want to, or decide to, do their own searches for cross line laser units... prices from £15 (or less via Temu or Banggood) up to over £500.

I don't need one with multiple lines or digital readings or even to use via an app on my phone. I'm not professionally employed as a builder, kitchen or bedroom unit fitter or tiler etc., so don't need such an all singing, all dancing piece of kit. I break it it's cost me £20... I drop a 'pro' one it's cost me £270 or more (the Huaper if presently on offer at £260 - 1p).

This one suits *my* needs at this time - I thought a few others may also find it of use to them.

If I'm honest I don't NEED this.... quite capable of using my existing old, none digital, bubble levels. I see it as another visual aid for lining up at a distance with a line along the wall at X height etc., which suits me... if not others. One mans meat and all that...

Na, you are just giving us a heads up on a good deal. The sky is the limit on laser levels but for occasional use and more it may be alright.
I have a cheap one also and it works fine.

 

[Spectric]

So what did you find so disappointing about them?

Well the first one I brought was a red line type and with too much ambient light it was hopeless, but it was a learning curve. I brought the second one several years later which was more expensive but had a green laser that turned out to be not very bright but better than the red line. Biggest problem was the line was too wide and fuzzy, also very sensitive to any movement in a room unless it was a solid floor so as the line would take on a wave motion until things settled again. My latest which is much better is a Huapar multiline that gives very bright green lines that are not to thick.

 

[Spectric]

A fair point but would it not be better to give a few specific examples as to why they ended up in recycling?

Yes that would have made it clearer,

 

[Jonathan]

Adrians points are spot on!
For a professional go Leica or Hilti, cry once.
For diy or the odd use the economical versions will work but don’t expect too much from them, especially outside unless it’s dark.

Various things make the difference between cheap and pro in my experience. Including:

Visibility in bright light (outdoors setting out blocks)
Range (Leica is visible at a much longer distance)
Settling speed
Absence of blurred lines or lines that are too thick over distance
Absence of lines doubling (some lasers do this)
Charge life (I can leave the Leica on all day, the other one I have to toggle on or off to eke out the batteries)
Spot measure
Robustness
Case
Ease of switching between modes
Lock mode for doing set slopes as opposed to level.

I use mine on a half decent tripod fitted with an adjustment rack that lets me shift the tool from side to sie and forward / back very accurately. Pretty much essential for laying out grids.

 

[fuse]

Very hard to choose affiliation on this.
No way could I ( be allowed to) justify hundreds of pounds unless I would use it frequently.
But Ive been either completely let down by cheap kit or had to waste time and sanity working around its problems.
I have a cheap laser level bought around 25 yrs ago
The beam is certainly powerful and fairly visible but it gets wide and hazy beyond 4metres
The tripod/ base is ingeniously versatile but has play which is somewhat frustrating
Its fine for pegging out a shed base but for jobs like tiling its a liability.

My dad would have said buy a decent one and it will last a lifetime
However Ive bought top of the range electronic items in the past only to have found them completely bricked lying unused.

Its really hard to find middle ground -may have struck lucky for once with the Evolution table saw but time will tell.

 

[Distinterior]

One of the very few items I have ever bought in a Black Friday sale, was a blue Bosch cross line laser level.
It was 50% off and that was about 9 years ago (£110 reduced to £55)...Its been really useful and I've found I use it more than I had anticipated.
Admittedly, it is a Red laser model and as mentioned by others, the laser line fades and becomes a bit fuzzy over a longer distance.
Having said that, for indoor use in a room of up to 10 mtrs long, I'd say they it was well worth the money I paid.
I have since bought a matching Bosch adjustable height tripod to go with it, but this has had less use than the actual laser lever itself.

 

[Spectric]

For marking a level point round a room you could always go old school and use a water level, it can do something no laser level can and that is mark the same level in another room. Also cheap at about £20 and as precise as you can read the level, I used to use dye so the water was coloured to make it easier to see.

 

[Mike]

I am a hobbyist woodworker and have never made money on any of my projects for others. Four years ago, I was helping a friend with some renovation projects in his house. As we were setting up for the kitchen tile and cabinet installation, his budget green Bosch two-axis LASER level stopped working. We thought it was the batteries, but putting in a fresh set didn't help. The Bosch level was no more and we didn't have bubble levels.

Unfortunately, this happened at about 2130 on the Saturday before Easter. The nearest big box hardware store that would have a replacement level was at least 45 minutes away and closed at 2200, so there was nothing we could do until the following Tuesday when the stores opened again.

Budget tools are great when they work. When I was pursuing the instrument rating for my pilot's license, one of the nuggets of information the instructor gave me was to trust the instruments, but don't count on them. While I don't have any experience to doubt the accuracy of budget tools, I do not count on them. As I learned while cleaning out my late father's workshop, only the rich can afford to buy cheap.

Three years ago, I wanted a LASER level for my own projects and bought the Huepar 903CG for €129 based on the recommendation of another friend north of me. The price included a €20 discount and free shipping, and arrived four days later. Soon after it arrived, I used it to check the surface mounted cable ducting in my shop. To my surprise, the ducting was off by 20mm over a 5 meter run. After a few more comparisons with other levels, I discovered the Stabila bubble level I used to install the duct was not accurate and might have been defective since new. It has since been replaced.

 

[Spectric]

I discovered the Stabila bubble level I used to install the duct was not accurate and might have been defective since new. It has since been replaced.

I learnt years ago when using bubble levels that when first using them on a job always try them at 180 degree's and they should read identical, if the level is even slightly bent then it will show a difference. How did I learn this, well someone thought my level could double up as a lever to move a cabinet into position !

 

[jimhanna]

For marking a level point round a room you could always go old school and use a water level,

For marking a level point round a room, for example for worktops, I just use a standard 3 foot spirit level. Switching the level round each mark (where one end is A and the other B ie A-B followed by B-A then A-B again) ensures that any inaccuracy in the level cancels out.

 

[Accipiter]

@Mike - I don't fully trust in my tools... they can go wrong. I've had doubts about the bubble levels I've got (four of them, different sizes on length) and used them when fitting the bedroom wardrobes and two kitchens (been here 40 yrs come Dec 2026). After buying this cheapo laser I checked the kitchen and bedroom units to find them all lining up . Now... it could be I did fit them correctly back when... or this laser is out by exactly the same as my bubble levels .

About 10 years ago () I invested (?) in a professional Ryobi ews-1266 circular saw. Used it infrequently until doing the garden for my daughter and son-in-law, having to cut pressure treated sleeprs (175mm x 75mm) as well as 175 x 50mm boards. Worked a treat. However, I (foolishly) took pity on their neighbour who was putting down PTSW decking. Didn't check the saw when I got it back.. again foolishly. When I did need to use it in early 2024 it made a hell of a racket so put it away and used some other saw. A couple of months ago, sorting out the back area of the workshop, I came across it. Thought "see about getting it checked out/repaired. Turned out to be the gears had broken some teeth... No replacement parts, discontinued so it went in the recycling. Wasn't a cheap buy when I got it, certainly wasn't used for 'professional work' - but wasn't worth the expense.

 

[Accipiter]

For marking a level point round a room, for example for worktops, I just use a standard 3 foot spirit level. Switching the level round each mark (where one end is A and the other B ie A-B followed by B-A then A-B again) ensures that any inaccuracy in the level cancels out.

Done this myself many times in the past.

 

[Mike]

However, I (foolishly) took pity on their neighbour who was putting down PTSW decking. Didn't check the saw when I got it back.. again foolishly. When I did need to use it in early 2024 it made a hell of a racket so put it away and used some other saw. A couple of months ago, sorting out the back area of the workshop, I came across it. Thought "see about getting it checked out/repaired. Turned out to be the gears had broken some teeth... No replacement parts, discontinued so it went in the recycling. Wasn't a cheap buy when I got it, certainly wasn't used for 'professional work' - but wasn't worth the expense.

I had a similar experience with my neighbor and a cordless Bosch Blue Professional circular saw. He wanted to cut some 18mm plywood and rip some new construction timber at his brother-in-law's remote hunting cabin. Before I gave him the saw, extra blades, and three extra batteries, I asked him if he knew how to use the saw and which blade to use for each type of material. He assured me he knew how to use the saw. I also told him about my "if you break it, you own it" policy of loaned tools or equipment. He agreed and took the saw.

When he returned the saw the next weekend, he told me it was a piece of crap and was barely able to cut anything. All of his cuts were burned and the edges were ruined. When I gave it to him, it had the ripping blade attached, so he replaced it with the combination blade in order to cut the plywood. When that blade stopped cutting, he put on the other blades and tried to finish the cuts until the saw started making evil noises. Eventually, he had to use a hand saw to finish the job.

While we were discussing this in my garage, I told him the saw never failed me and cut like a dream. I opened the box and immediately noticed the blades were blue and not the same nice shiny silver color when he took the saw. Then I noticed the newly blued blade on the saw was on backwards. When he removed the ripping blade, he didn't pay attention to the teeth orientation or the two raised directional arrows on the guards. He installed the combination blade backwards and didn't recognize his mistake as he burned his way through the plywood. He did the same with the ripping blade and the second combination blade.

I told him he put the blades on backwards and likely ruined the saw. As soon as he realized his mistake, he let out a sigh of resignation and apologized. He took the box, gave me the three extra batteries, and told me he would bring me a new saw and blades. The Bauhaus in Mannheim was the only brick and mortar store that stocked the Bosch Blue line at the time, and he delivered a new saw and blades the next day.

 

[Cabinetman]

Oh crikey, and he had the cheek to tell you the saw you kindly lent him was a piece of crap! Some people.

 

[AJB Temple]

I've had a similar experience to Mike, but without the happy ending. I would lend tools to a few people on here, but not someone I was not certain was competent and as careful as me.

 

[Woodbloke]

... only the rich can afford to buy cheap.

Three years ago, I wanted a LASER level for my own projects and bought the Huepar 903CG for €129 based on the recommendation of another friend north of me. The price included a €20 discount and free shipping, and arrived four days later.

I've no experience with a laser level and have never used one, but I generally wouldn't buy 'el cheapo' kit from anywhere, let alone the 'middle of Lidl' which is a no go zone for me. Although the Huepar stuff is Chinese, it appears not to be cCc, which is encouraging.

When you consider the price quoted, it's less than half the price of a bronze LN No.4 plane, which I covet but don't actually need - Rob

 

[AndyP]

I've had a similar experience to Mike, but without the happy ending. I would lend tools to a few people on here, but not someone I was not certain was competent and as careful as me.

Whenever I have lent tools I have lent myself at the same time to do the job.

 

[fuse]

Whenever I have lent tools I have lent myself at the same time to do the job.

Exactly.
Exactly
Never a lender nor borrower be when it comes to tools.
Ive only ever had stuff come back damaged or not at all.
Just the stench of contempt
Grrr

If you break my kit could you afford to replace it?
If the answer is no then your not borrowing it.
If the answer is yes then bloody well buy your own.
Ive had to ,you sponging git
Double Grrrrrr

If I actually like the person or ,more likely for my grumpy old inner cynic,they can repay a favour Ill do the part of the job that needs my kit for them.
This is an acceptable workaround as I otherwise get the cold shoulder from the Mrs for not lending tools to the stepkids.

 

[Accipiter]

@Mike sad to read about your experience of loaning your saw out. But well done to your friend for doing the right thing with replacement

 

[Accipiter]

Whenever I have lent tools I have lent myself at the same time to do the job.

A lesson I learned afterwards. Even though I'd shown him how he should use it by cutting some of his boards for him it's belatedly become obvious he'd not done as I'd demonstrated.

 

[AJB Temple]

To be fair it takes a good deal of practice to use some tools. Tracksaws, expecially with scoring set up, have a learning curve for example.

 

[Woodbloke]

To be fair it takes a good deal of practice to use some tools. Tracksaws, expecially with scoring set up, have a learning curve for example.

I'd alter that slightly and change the 'some' for 'all' as @Steve recently experienced - Rob

 

[Accipiter]

Well... they certainly need to be approached with caution in handling. Ive an Erbaurer plunge saw (another 'cheapie' ) that has shown itself to be capable. However... getting used to cutting with it on the left-hand side of me when trimming back wide boards... super cautious